


Another Dawn Another Road

by tehrin



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Amnesia, Bromance, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 05:25:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9220667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehrin/pseuds/tehrin
Summary: Three years have passed since the last time he had seen his closest friend. Now living as a photographer, Prompto decides to photograph a solar eclipse when something strange happens. Maybe even the most unlikely wishes really can come true. Spoilers for the end of the game.





	1. Wishful Thinking

The sun hung in low, baking the pavement of the long curving road.  Although the sun had risen only a few hours ago, the air was already thick with humidity casting the surroundings in a slight haze. The windows of the car were rolled down and music blared from the radio. The blonde man bobbed his head and tapped on the wheel as he drove along. In the passenger seat sat a bag of camera equipment and a tripod laid propped up aside it. 

He passed a billboard with a hastily painted message: “6/27 The End Is Near”. Prompto glanced at it for a moment and returned his gaze to the road ahead, not giving the message much thought. That date was today, and he was on a mission to photograph the solar eclipse.

Three years had passed since the endless night had finally turned to dawn. While the world had slowly begun returning to some semblance of normalcy, the news of a solar eclipse left some survivors in a state of panic. Prompto, however, saw this as nothing more than an opportunity. With the king gone, and the majority of the daemons slain, there was little for him to do. He had helped where he could when it came to ridding the land of the remaining daemons as well as assisting with the aid of the refugees. By now, most people had been able to resettle and rebuild. With his area of expertise lying either in shooting a gun or a camera, Prompto decided to settle upon the latter. 

The eclipse wasn’t set to occur until closer to sunset, giving him a few more hours to arrive to his pre-determined location and set up the equipment and wait.  He had decided upon the desert area in Liede, as the lack of light pollution and the arid temperatures would prove to be ideal. The backdrop of the mountains would make for a picturesque series of photographs for certain. 

The deep greens of the wetlands began to slowly fade away to brown and gold, glowing from the afternoon heat. Prompto wondered if he made the right choice, fiddling with the air conditioning unit of the beat up car. After blowing only hot air for a few minutes the unit sputtered out and broke, causing the man to huff in frustration. He made a mental note to see Cindy, but first, he needed the photos.

His stomach grumbled and he pulled over in Longwythe, deciding to stop for a quick bite to eat before reaching his destination. How long had it been since he visited this tiny little outpost. It had seemed to fare pretty well despite the ten years of darkness. Most of the structures appeared to be unscathed or if they were, they’d been repaired by now. He gazed up for a moment at the hotel sign and frowned, shaking a memory from his mind. Every once in awhile, he would stop somewhere or pass an old location, see a familiar face and start to feel a slight numb pang in his chest. By now, he’d gotten into the habit of shaking them off, and focusing his mind to something else.

He filled up his tank and crossed the street to the Crows Nest restaurant and went inside. Sitting at the counter, he placed an order for fries and a drink, enough to hold his stomach over for now. As he sat, staring off into nothing in particular, his mind wandered the voices of two men behind him.   
  
“You gonna catch a glimpse of the eclipse tonight?” The man’s voice had a thick drawl, common to this area.

“I reckon I might. It’s not ev’ry day you git to seein’ something like that. ‘Specially with a meteor shower ta’ boot. But with all this talk ‘bout the end of the world, I just don’ know.” The other man replied, voice just as thickly accented as the other.

“You really gon’ believe that Joe?” The other man guffawed. “That’s crazytalk if I ever heard it. It’s only the moon crossin’ paths with the sun. The meteor shower comes ev’ry year same time. It’s just as natural as sunrise an’ sunset. If the world was gon’ end I reckon it woudda ended by now, you dun’ think?”

“I suppose yer right.”

Prompto smirked and shook his head, finally glancing down at his phone. He’d recently saved up enough money from photography gigs to afford a new phone. Although he kept his old one at home, just because, all of his apps no longer worked with the phone version he had. During the ten years of darkness, service was kept running in sporadic locations, if only to keep communication between others. With the rebuilding of their civilization meant opportunities for capitalism and new phones to be created and operating systems to be developed leaving most of the world’s citizens in need of something new. He glanced down at his text messages, it had been about a week since anyone had contacted him and it was only a fellow photographer acquaintance that he had made. Swiping further down, it had been about three months since he had communicated with either Ignis or Gladio, frowning, he decided to send a text to Gladio. He made a mental note to call Iggy later.

_“Hey, been awhile. What’s up?”_ He wrote.

His attention snapped back into reality as a plate of fries was sat in front of him. Quickly, he began inhaling his food. He needed to get back on the road. His phone buzzed on the table, and he picked it up, mouth full of fries.

_“Hey, Spending the last few days tracking down the last of the daemons. This asshole in particular is elusive.”_ Gladio wrote. _“You?_ ”

_“Gonna get pics of the eclipse.”_  He replied but not before stuffing three fries into his mouth.

_“Cool deal.”_ Gladio wrote back. _“So how’s the book sales going?”_

_“Not too bad. There’s been about 10,000 copies sold already."_ Deciding it would be for the best, Ignis and Gladio had talked him into publishing his photographs documenting their journey. The proceeds from the book were to go to relief efforts. That part, however was Prompto's own idea, feeling awful about selling the photos of their memories, and last memories of the king for personal profit. It was one reason why he had decided to keep the photos under lock and key for so long.  


_“Damn.”_ Gladio replied back _. “Just think, if you decided to keep some of the profits, maybe you could be taking pics for fun instead of 4 the gil.”_

_ “Yeah. But I feel like this was the best. I can’t profit off our memories. Noct's memories. You know that. It’s not right. Besides, it’s helping a lot of people who really need it.” _

_“Yeah.”_ The reply came back a little slowly, just as he was finishing up the last of his food. _“Well, g2g, it’ll be dark b4 I know it. Gotta make tracks.”_

_ “Same. later bro.” _

 

He put his phone away and paid the tab, and slurped down the last of his drink before heading out the door. He paid the bill and left a few bills on the counter for a tip. Probably more than he needed to, but maybe the man needed it a little more than he did. Prompto made his way to the car and drove off, and within about twenty minutes he arrived at the location he picked out. 

He had spent countless hours studying the trajectory of the sun and pinpointing the exact location of the eclipse at that specific time of the day. He could visualize the spot in his head, and watching as the sun slowly descended downward, he could feel the anticipation tingling in his limbs. It was going to be beautiful.

Quickly, he began setting up his equipment, the tripod first before attaching the camera, a newer model than the one he had before, but not  _ too _ new. Then, he began to fiddle with the settings and took a few test shots with the filters he had purchased. Running back to the car, he pulled out an old camping chair and a pair of eclipse glasses and waited. 

Watching his phone for the time, he began snapping photos. It was his goal to get photos of the entire eclipse sequence. It would be a slow process, but the prize would be worth the wait. On the other hand, it was waiting, with nothing left to do but wait, that left Prompto’s mind to wander.

\----

_ “Hey!” Prompto quickly turned around hearing the voice of his friend. In his hand was his red point and shoot camera. “Been looking all over for you. What are you doing up here?” _

_ “Trying to figure out a good spot to get pictures of the eclipse.” Prompto said. _

_ “Oh right. That’s this afternoon isn’t it?” _

_ “Yeah.” Prompto pulled out two pairs of glasses from his pockets. One he was planning on using as a filter on the lens of the camera while using the other for his own eyes. He placed it over the camera lens and took a few pictures, checking the LCD view to see the results. _

_ “Mind if I join you?” Noctis asked, sitting down on the brick fence beside him. _ __  
_  
_ __ “Sure, go ahead.” He snapped a few more pictures. “But isn’t Ignis going to be mad if you’re not back at the apartment in time for homework and dinner?”

_ “Probably, but I’m sure he’ll understand. It’s not every day you get to see a solar eclipse.” He looked down at his phone and began typing out a message to Ignis, letting him know he was going to be late. _

_ “Yeah…” Prompto nodded. “And hey, you get to watch it with your best friend ever, right?” _

_ Noctis laughed and nodded. “Yeah.” _

_ \---- _

Prompto frowned, pushing the memory out of his mind. It was times like these, alone, in the open air, that he seemed to miss his friend the most. During those ten years without him, he had continued on clinging to the hope that he would return again. When he finally did, his hopes came crashing down as he learned of what he needed to do. Before it the realization of his return had fully begun to sink in, he was taken from them yet again. This time, permanently.

He could clearly remember the sight of his friend’s body slumped limply on the throne with his father’s sword plunged through his chest. The days that followed were filled with tears and emptiness. He could remember the private and small funeral they held for him, others came and he remembered seeing Cindy, Iris, Talcot and there others. Yet it was all a blur and he couldn’t entirely pinpoint the faces of the people who were there. They had decided to cremate his body. He had one last look before the makeshift wooden casket was closed. It wasn’t a funeral for a king, and that was probably what he would’ve wanted. He always seemed to hate the spotlight that he was constantly put in. He had looked so pale and lifeless, as if the body laying there was just an empty shell of what used to be.

Prompto bit his lip and wiped at his eyes, taking another shot of the sun as it neared totality. He began to adjust the settings, trying to stay focused at the task at hand.

\----

_  
“Wow, it’s so strange.” Noctis spoke up. He hadn’t moved much from the position they’d taken to view the eclipse. _

_ “What?” Prompto was practically dancing around, glasses on taking photos with his camera. “I think it’s pretty cool.” _ __  
_  
_ __ “No. Just how it’s four o’clock and it’s so dark out.”  Noctis looked around. “It makes me feel tired”

_ “Noct.” Prompto’s arms fell to his sides. “Everything makes you feel tired.” He took the glasses off his camera, satisfied with the amount of photos he’d snapped. “Here take a look.” _

_ Noctis put on the glasses and gazed upward toward the sun. “Yeah, it is pretty cool, huh?” _

  
\----

Finally, the image of the ring of fire appeared on the display of his camera. He took a few photos up close before zooming out to get as much of the scenery as possible into the frame. Shadows of the mountains appeared in the frame, just as he had imagined it. The lighting was perfect.  He began snapping. That was when he noticed streaks of light appearing in his photos. With the sun fully blocked by the moon, the meteor shower was partially visible. Hurriedly, and tossing his memories to the side, he quickly began snapping photos.

He stopped all at once when he sensed a bright light behind him. Looking away from his camera, he noticed two trails of light streaking through the sky. He brought up his camera to catch them on film as passed near the moon. Clearly these two meteors were a little too close for comfort and had entered the atmosphere some time ago. Watching in amazement, he saw one depart from the other landing somewhere in the distance while the other continued westward.

_ \---- _ __  
_  
_ __ It had been sometime early on in their journey and he couldn’t quite pinpoint when it had occurred exactly. It must have been before Insomnia fell, as Prompto remembered the conversation.  He’d woken up in the middle of the night and realized his friend was nowhere to be found inside the tent. He quietly snuck out the entrance to see his back turned to him from the rocky ledge of the haven.  He stepped closer and took a seat beside him.

_ “Hey.” Prompto had said casually taking a seat beside him. _

_ “Hey.” Noctis replied, keeping his vision set straight ahead focusing on nothing in particular off in the distance. His face was illuminated by the moonlight and the dim flickering light of the dying campfire. _

_ “I thought you of all people would be out like a light by now.” Prompto laughed. _

_ “Just couldn’t sleep.” The darker haired man replied, looking downward toward his hands, folded in his lap. _ __  
  
“Got the pre-wedding jitters after all, huh?” Prompto gently slapped his back. 

_ “I don’t know. Maybe I do.” Noctis sighed and leaned backward, turning his attention toward the night sky. _

_ “I… can’t say I blame you.” Prompto followed suit, looking upward as well. “I’d probably be nervous as hell in your position.” He glanced over at Noctis and studied his friend’s expression. “It’s all political anyway, right?” _

_ "Yeah.” Noctis sighed. “It’s not like I’m not excited to see her again. But I don’t know if I’m ready… ready for any of this.” _

_ “Hey, no matter what happens, I’ve got your back, buddy!” Prompto assured leaning a little into his shoulder before moving away a little too quickly. _

_ “Thanks.” _

_ Prompto returned his gaze to the sky and noticed a faint streak of light cutting across the sky. “Hey, did you see that?” _

_ “Yeah.” Noctis glanced toward Prompto, nodding his head. _

_ “C’mon, make a wish.” The blonde haired man urged. _

_ “What?” _

_ “That’s what you’re supposed to do when you see a shooting star.” _

_ Noctis sighed before looking upwards again, eyes closing as if he had decided upon what to wish for. Prompto followed suit and then nodded toward him. _

_ “So what’d you wish for?” Noctis asked. _

_ “Can’t tell.” He laughed. “It’s a secret.” _

_ “Ah okay. Well, I thought I’d tell you mine, but not if you’re going to be all secretive like that.” Noctis smirked and crossed his arms. _

_ “Aww okay, fine. Y-you go first.” _

_ “Alright.” He sighed. “I wished that I didn’t have to be king one day.” _

_ “I wished that things could stay the way they’ve been forever.” Prompto let out a nervous laugh. “I mean… one day pretty soon, you’re going to get married and… we can’t really hang out like we used to, you know? I don’t want to lose what we’ve got.” _

_ “Me neither.” Noctis frowned and elbowed his friend. _

_ “Bunch of wishful thinking, right?” Prompto let out a nervous laugh..  _

_ “Probably.” The prince sighed and closed his eyes. _

\----

 

Prompto held the camera in his hands and sat back down into the the chair, reviewing the photos he had just taken. One photo in particular clearly showed the two meteors streaking in front of the moon. This shot was sure to earn a much-needed pretty gil or two. Sighing, he looked back up at the sky.

“I wish…” He whispered to nobody in particular, perhaps the gods themselves if they even still existed. “I wish I could see him again, even just for a few minutes.” He remounted the camera on the tripod and began snapping a few more photos of the eclipse as it re-entered a partial phase. “Wishful thinking, huh?”

Prompto watched the sunset as it exited the moon’s shadow, snapping photos along the way. With the sun setting, he was able to view the remaining portion without the glasses. Finally, as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, Prompto began packing up his things. He needed to make a quick stop at Hammerhead before it became too dark. Tomorrow, perhaps, he’d go investigate the meteors that fell. Prompto felt exhaustion wash over him. He wasn’t sure if it was from the driving or the constant mental exhaustion his memories brought him.

Sighing once again, he gingerly placed the bag of equipment in the passenger seat and laid the tripod in the back. Starting up the engine, the car continued off onto the dusty desert roads.


	2. One bad night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's proving to be one miserable night indeed.

Distant voices, or what was perceived as voices could be heard chattering in the distance. Hanging somewhere between lucidity and slumber, everything seemed to be in a state of a muddled blur. Trying to move, the consciousness quickly realized it was unable to do much more than just exist in whatever state it had currently found itself. It could recall what felt like fleeting memories: a warm touch, the face of someone it cared deeply about, the feeling of being loved and reciprocating such an emotion. Now, for whatever reason, it seemed to exist somewhere else, and seemingly without form. Had it been residing within a dream, or was this some sort of dream?

“Are you sure this is right?”

 “This is going against everything we had originally planned.”

 “It is not. Without the power of the crystal, this changes nothing.”

 “Why then, do you care so greatly for these two humans?”

  _Human? What was a human? It could recall a state of being that might have been human at one point._

 “It is only fairest course of action.”

 “It’s decided. I will aid in this endeavor, but as soon as they arrive, they are to be left to their own devices with no interference.”

 “Agreed.”

 Then, there was a sensation of being pulled elsewhere. Awareness snapping from one location to the next. The voices were gone, but a vibration and energy permeated what was once sound and dull muddled light. It had intensified and grew stronger, the dullness had turned sharp and bright white-hot light enveloped it’s body. The consciousness realized that it had a body now and it struggled to move its limbs, to see what what happening around it. The efforts were fruitless as it felt as if it were being propelled somewhere.

 Darkness and silence followed.

 ----

Prompto pulled up to the Hammerhead station. It had been some time, perhaps a few months at least, since he had visited this all-too familiar location. In the years that had passed since the sun finally rose again, the station had returned to some semblance of what it had used to be. Cars were seen traveling down the road more often, going between Insomnia to Lestallum or Galdin Quay. Travel was common now, and with the former Crown City repaired and bustling again, Travelers needed a stop along the way in an otherwise lifeless dust bowl.

Both Cindy and Cid had returned to the Garage that had been abandoned once the daemon hordes had become sparse to nearly non-existent. The hunters had moved on elsewhere, as the open area of the desert proved to be one of the easiest locations to clear out. Many of them had begun taking on other occupations, especially as the years had passed.

 He unbuckled his seat belt, a practice that he had far more recently gotten into the habit of, and opened the door. Stepping out onto the still-hot pavement, he made his way over to the big blue-green garage that seemed to linger in his memories. As he approached, a familiar figure stepped out from the inside. A curly blonde ponytail came out from behind a ball cap. She wore grease-stained black shorts that came to her mid-thigh as opposed to higher up as she once wore. A shorter dark tank top and a cropped jacket left open provided a bit of breeze. Cindy was older now, for certain, but her spirits had remained as high as ever. As he approached, he could see faint lines crossing her forehead as her brows raised in recognition.

“Well, howdy stranger!” Cindy exclaimed running forward and embracing the younger man.

“Ahh!” Prompto staggered backwards and then awkwardly returned the gesture, taken off guard. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he quickly pulled away. “Hey Cindy. How’s it going?”

“It’s goin’ well!” She nodded, tipping the brim of her ball cap. “Workin’ hard as ever.” She glanced over to the car he had driven up in. Although a newer model, the few dents and a small patch of rust near the tailpipe proved the automobile had seen better days. She teetered to see the photography equipment in the front and back passenger seats. “I see you’ve been workin’ as hard as ever too. You were out taking pictures of the eclipse, right?”

 “Y-Yeah.” Prompto nearly sputtered. “I got some pretty good ones, if you… want to see them.”

 “Sure thing!” She nodded and then crossed her arms. “But somethin’ tells me you didn’t come all the way out here just to show me your pictures.”

 “Uhh… yeah, actually. I have a small favor to ask.”  Prompto shyly rubbed at the back of his neck. “If it’s not too much trouble, my AC unit went out and I thought you might be able to look at it.”

 “Ain’t no trouble!” Cindy nodded. “What with all that runnin’ around I had the Prince and ya’ll doin way back when, I don’t mind helpin’ you out from time to time.”

 “Ahh.. Great!” Prompto nodded. Though he felt his heart twinge a little at the mention of his former friend and his smile seemed to falter ever so slightly. Cindy had already made her way over to his car and he followed, handing her the keys. To his relief, she didn’t seem to notice the change in his expression. He had spent too long today thinking about him, but perhaps it was overdue.

 She was now in the car, turning on the ignition and letting the air run.

 “I’ll let her go for a bit, see if she starts pumping out any cold air. Might just need some more fluid.” She sat in the car and listened as the air conditioner sputtered and died. “Or might need another unit entirely… I’ll have to pull her in the garage and take a better look.”

 Prompto nodded and watched as she turned it around and drove it into the garage. He followed, arms swaying to his side as he walked. Leaning against the edge, his eyes caught another vehicle draped with a few tarps and off to the side.

 “For an ol’ girl like this, her engine seems to be in purty good shape from the sound of it.” She nodded and then trotted up toward him. “Speaking of ol’ girls, I’ve almost got her right as rain. You wanna see?”

 “Nah… no thanks. M-Maybe another time.” Prompto shook his head. “Glad to hear it though.”

 “Too many memories, huh?”  Cindy turned her back and strolled toward the car in the back, running her hands over the plastic. “I can’t say I don’t blame ya. Still, it wouldn’t be right if we just scrapped her you know. Not after all that work we went through to get her back.”

 “What are you gonna do with it once it’s restored?” Prompto asked, simply out of curiosity.

 “I… reckon I might donate it off to the royal museum they have up in Insomnia.” She turned around to face him, leaning against the backside of the car. “It’s the least I can do, really.”

 “Cindy… ah…” Prompto bit his bottom lip. “Thanks. You’ve...you’ve been too good to us for all these years.”

 “Don’t sweat it.” Cindy laughed, pushing herself away from the car. “But don’t you go making yourself a stranger, ya hear? If you’re ever off in these parts taking pictures, you should stop by and see me. Hard memories or not.”

 “Right.” Prompto nodded.

 “So, bout them pictures! Let me see!” Cindy brought her hands together in a clap.

“Oh right!” The man perked up and made his way to his own car, pulling the camera out of his bag. “You have to see these ones, they’re really great!” 

\----

Darkness and silence had begun to ebb away and slowly awareness had begun to to take root, replacing the nothingness that had been before. There was warmth from above and cool from below, the scent of something familiar, something fresh came into focus. In the distance, strange sounds, calls from some sort of creatures could be heard. Eyelids were forced open, and pupils focused on green blades of grass spread out across the distance. The light outside was dimming, and getting dark quickly.  A sudden sense of unexplained urgency took hold, forcing arms to push itself upward. Kneeling in the grass, and looking downward, there was a realization that they, whoever they were, not knowing, was both male and was naked somewhere in the open and a place that seemed inexplicably strange and familiar all at once.

A sudden flush covered his face, realizing he had no clothing. Eyes darting around, he saw no signs of nearby civilization within view. A sense of relief as well as a sense of panic overtook him. He pushed himself upright and stumbled, at first, toward a lake that seemed to be few hundred meters away.

 When he reached the lake, he fell back to his knees and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water. Deep blue eyes stared back at him and long, messy black hair framed his face. He didn’t appear to be old, but not all that young either. There was youth left in him, but clearly he was of an adult age. As the sun fell behind the strange and rocky horizon, the sense of foreboding urgency had returned. He felt himself needing to find shelter, but not exactly sure why this was. Trusting his gut instinct he moved forward, taking a moment to look around for anything he could use to cover himself should he encounter anyone else.

 As he moved, he tried to recall how he may have ended up in such a predicament. He found his memory hitching at the point where he had woken up not long ago. He couldn’t even recall where he was from, or where this place might even be. He had nothing, not even a shred of clothing or dignity for that matter, to cling to.

  _“This is bad. This is really bad.”_ He thought to himself.

 A few minutes of roaming and exploring had passed, only to find himself being approached by large bumbling hooved creatures, the source of the noises he had been hearing, no doubt. Stricken by terror, he ducked behind a rock, pulling his legs close to his body. The herd of animals had moved, yet he hadn’t. He found himself shivering as a cool breeze blew over the area. His stomach growled and he had no idea how long it had been since the last time he had eaten anything at all.

 With a sigh, he pushed himself upright and stumbled forward. In the dimming twilight, he could see a structure ahead and what appeared to be a flagpole. He headed toward it, and ducked behind some bushes, observing and listening. There didn’t seem to be any signs of activity nearby, so he crept forward and pulled down the flag from the flagpole. Tearing the fabric off proved to be difficult, but it was just enough to tie around his waist. With a miniscule amount of dignity spared, he looked around the small building and noticed that it appeared to be some sort of shop. Some familiar objects caught his eye, fishing poles, tackles, and line. His eyes darted around the products as his stomach continued to grumble. There was a pier. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he could borrow the items since nobody seemed to be around. After climbing through the window and practically falling inside, as well as scraping himself with something, he managed to grab what he needed.  He wasn’t sure how he knew this, but somehow, he felt like luck had to be on his side.

 Not any more graceful than before, he made his way out of the window. Only after falling flat on his back, did he notice there was a door he could’ve used instead. Huffing, and pushing himself upright, he first adjusted the flag tied around his waist and stumbled to the end of the pier.  Fiddling for a moment, he managed to attach the line and lure before clumsily casting it out into the water and he waited.

 Soon enough, there was a tug on the line, and he began to pull it toward him, reeling whatever it was on the other end toward him. It took some effort, but he managed to grab a small-sized fish. With any luck, he could catch a few more and he’d have something to eat for now.

 Just as he was about to recast the rod, he could hear the sound of something slamming and voices in the distance. Moving quickly, he laid the rod on the edge of the pier and grabbing his prized fish, he climbed back inside the hut. He peeked from a window on the side, watching as flashlights searched the area not far from where he had come from.

 He noticed one of the lights shining in his location and he felt his body stiffen. Adrenaline flowing, every nerve ending in his body was screaming for him to run. He sucked in a sharp breath as light passed just below the window and decided to duck down.

 “I’m just checking the shop to make sure it made it’s okay.” A voice shouted from too far away. “Be right back!”

He could hear gravel under the approaching man’s feet and then boots stomping along the wooden pier.  
  
“What in the hell?” The man said. “Who left this out here?”

 Hearing the voice, he crawled into a dark corner and edged his way underneath the window. He realized there was very little he could do now to avoid being discovered. The footsteps approached the window and he could see a circle of light pass across the shelves infront of him. His heart pounded in his chest and he wondered if it would give him away. He held his breath and his eyes darted to and fro looking for any sort of escape.  It was then that he heard the jingling of metal and the door handle nearby turned. With one hand on the fish and the other hand on the nearest object he could grab, a child’s fishing pole, he prepared his body to escape.

 The door swung open and two footsteps followed. Light criss-crossed the floor before stopping on the fish.  
  
“What in Sam hell--” The flashlight moved upwards, pausing as it illuminated his hand and then it quickly moved overwhelming his vision with bright light.

 The man holding the flashlight let out a scream.

 He couldn’t help but scream back at him. He pushed himself upright and swung the fishing pole with one hand and clutching the tail end of the fish with the other.

 “Whoa whoa! Take whatever you want!” The shopkeeper dropped the flashlight and stepped away, metal clanking on the concrete floor and finally shined its light toward the adjacent wall. “Just don’t hurt me.”

 He sharply inhaled and his eyes darted toward the exit. He could still make a run for it. Then, a sense of rationality took over. He could run and continue to find himself in an ever-worsening dire situation or he could try to talk to the man. His posture eased and his shoulders slumped. He dropped the fishing pole on the ground.

 “I’m sorry.” He said quietly. “I-” He realized he had no rational explanation as to why there was a nearly naked man wielding a child’s fishing pole standing in his shop. “I don’t mean you any harm I was just hungry so… I…”

 The man chuckled and crossed his arms. “So you decided to go _fishing_?” He reached down and picked up his flashlight, attempting to get a better look at the man standing in front of him. He paused noticing his bare legs and feet. “Say, where’s your britches?”

 “I… I don’t know.” He looked away sheepishly. “I… woke up this way. I don’t know what happened.” He could feel that warmth passing over his cheeks again and he wanted to crawl away back into the darkness.

 “What’s your name?” He asked taking a step forward.

 He opened his mouth to speak, but then he realized he had no idea what his name even was. He paused, and bit his lip. “I don’t remember.”

 “Damn.” The shopkeeper placed a hand on his shoulder, it felt warm against his skin but the touch was awkward and found himself pulling away ever so slightly. “Looks like you’ve got amnesia. Wouldn’t doubt that meteor crash knocked you out.”

 “Meteor?” He asked.

 “Bout an hour ago, a meteor landed over ‘round here somewhere. Me and my boys were off looking for it. Might fetch a good sum of gil. I thought I’d check on my shack over here first, and that’s when I stumbled upon you.”

 “But that doesn’t explain why I’m...”

 The man laughed. “I suppose not. Who knows. Anyway, seems to me you at least remember how to fish.” He gestured toward the dead fish still in his hands. “Not bad if I don’t say so myself. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

 He looked up toward taller man, he wanted to ask for something, anything but he wasn’t sure where to even begin. His eyes turned downcast. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude or…”  His fingertips passed over the edges of the torn cloth around his waist. “Take your flag.”

 The man frowned and crossed his arms. “It’s all right. No harm was done, just gave me a bit of a shock is all.” He hesitated, mind trailing off into thought.

 “I guess I’ll be going then. Thank you.” He stepped toward the door passing the other man.

 “Hey.” The man stopped him, gripping his shoulder again, the muscles below his fingers quickly tensed and he pulled away. “Where are you going to go now?”

 “I…” He hesitated and hung his head. “I don’t know.”

 “Well, I can’t let you go out into the open at night with no food, no clothes, no shelter.  Why don’t you come back to my place. It’s not far from here. I’ll fix up that fish for you, and then some. That way you can at least get some rest, a good meal, a hot shower and some clean clothes before you go on your way.”

 “You don’t have to do that for me.” His eyes were fixed on the ground below him. Tiny pebbles were digging into his bare feet which were feeling dry, rough and dirty. He realized he had no other choice but to accept his offer. “Thank you.”

 “Here.”  The man took off his unbuttoned flannel shirt and passed it to him. “Ain’t much, but it’ll at least keep you warm and covered till we get there.”

 He nodded, accepting the shirt. He put his arms inside and began buttoning it up. He would feel better if he had some pants and some shoes, but this was at least a humble start.

\----

Prompto remembered why he rarely visited Hammerhead. Everywhere he looked, little reminders still flourished. Something as small as a can of oil, the smell of gasoline and grease, or the way the light hit the pebbles on the ground told the story of times long gone. He could hear laughter, music quietly playing in the distance. The scent of spicy food from Takka’s diner reminded him of tastes and conversations, of accepting hunts and looking for ingredients. He cursed himself, knowing that his car wouldn’t be ready until the morning and there was nowhere to sleep but the caravan parked outside. It was worn for wear but was just as familiar as the nights spent camping inside it and lounging outside in the chairs playing King’s Knight, a long-since relic of the past, an app no longer updated or even played. It was almost symbolic, Prompto thought, glancing at his phone. A knight without a king.

Therein began his ruminating dark thoughts as his mind began to wander into darker places that he dared not to go to. The last time he had stayed here, he was surrounded by close friends. Noctis was probably passed out cold on the bunk above him, arm or foot dangling down from above. Gladio would be seated across from him nose in his book while Ignis would be busy cleaning up from dinner, wiping down the counters and ensuring the place was as clean as he’d left it. Tonight, however, he was increasingly aware of just how alone he was.

Quite suddenly, he felt as if he had been transported back in time. He felt like a child again, alone and without a friend in the entire world. His rationality told him differently, there were people who supported him and cared about his well-being. He was a respected published photographer and author. He’d done well for himself. None of this could prevent this internal self-loathing.

Despite everything he had accomplished, he lacked closeness. He lacked having someone he could connect with. It was nights like these, spent alone in hotels in the middle of nowhere running back and forth between shooting locations that he found himself missing everyone, especially the first and closest friend he had ever had.

Adulthood seemed to have a way of doing that. People who were once close were now busy with their lives, their careers and obligations. Contact was far and few between. Social media, occasional text messages and the rare phone call was all he seemed to have these days. It only helped to numb the pain only slightly.

He felt a tightness at the back of his throat and he sucked in a shaky breath. Needles stung at the corners of his eyes. With his fist balled and resting on his forehead he kept telling himself that he needed to get it together. He lost Noctis three, and may have damn well been thirteen years ago. He should be done with grieving. He should’ve moved on by now. He needed to find a damn girlfriend or something like everyone else his age.

He wiped at his eyes. How long had it been since he had allowed himself to really cry? He couldn’t recall. There had been times when memories would bubble to the surface such as they had today, but the emotions tied to them had never really run as deeply as they did on this particular night. It had maybe been about six or seven months if he recalled, and even then, it was short-lived and he had managed to pull himself together. Tonight wasn’t one of those nights as his resolve buckled and he found himself curling into a ball on his side. Legs tucked underneath him and arms cradling himself his shoulders shook until he passed out from exhaustion.

_Tomorrow would be a better day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the reviews and kudos guys! I've not written or posted fanfics in awhile and my other fandoms are kind of dead and stagnant, so it's really nice getting some feedback and encouragement. :)


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